"A composition comes as a single gesture which is already, in essence, music. The path to this is hard; you descend to the lowest spiritual plane, the bottom of the world, not knowing what will be found. The only thing you know is that you don't know anything. If this gesture, like a seed, takes root, it must be cultivated with extreme care so that it may grow; meanwhile you are oscillating between heaven and earth. The compositional task is to find the appropriate system for the gesture. It is one's capacity for suffering that gives the energy to create." - Arvo Part
I've always felt that the above was one of the most useful comments on the creative process. It gives us insight into what life is like for an artist: Imagine going to work in a new place every day and then returning to a different home every evening - psychologically, that is what a creative artist goes through. It also prepares us for the type of mindset that is necessary to create.
In music, the compositional process is a fascinating one. It is not to be confused with the study or application of music theory. One thinks of grammar after one has written, not before or during. Therefore, no musical "training" of any kind is necessary to participate in writing music. All that is required is some means of recording ideas (and there are many sources of help in this area), and the patience to let those ideas develop. And, of course, lots and lots of listening.
Which brings us back to Radiohead. In rock music, there is a tendency to indulge in a shortcut that almost invariably leads to poor results: the use of chords and/or chord progressions as starting points. A chord is a sonorous, stable structure of at least two, and usually more, notes. But to start with a chord is to make an assumption. Chords are better thought of as targets than as starting points. That is to say, music wants to move from points of tension (or dissonance) towards points of rest (or chords). The composer must think in great detail - note by note - to get the most natural or logical movement of each part. To think in chords is to apply music theory at a point much too early in the process. One way of working is to play the part that one has already and then to sing (or hear) the part or parts that are still required. This will ensure that the music is personal (in the sense that it comes from a person) and avoids cliches - like chords can often be. The best composers have always understood this. Radiohead are in this category, and as I mentioned yesterday, they show a way forward for rock music. Sometimes we hear statements such as, "Everything has already been done" or "There will never be original music again". Not true: as it has always been, original music will be very demanding to write and play, but the truth is that very little has been done, and that there is a universe of music still to be discovered, enjoyed, and put to use. Listening: "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", "Knives Out", "Dollars & Cents", "There There", "Reckoner".